CII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



was completed shortly afterwards, and the presence of many salmon 

 below the rack afforded a fair prospect for good collections. A few 

 eggs were taken in September, but the bulk was collected in October. 

 During October and November 2,027,000 eyed eggs were delivered by 

 Mr. Pankey. The results were not satisfactory, as it is believed that 

 there was a sufficient number of salmon in the river to have yielded 

 at least 5,000,000 more if the fishing had been properly managed. One 

 of the principal objections to this site is that there is no deep water 

 below the rack in which fish can collect, and as soon as they become 

 frightened by the seining operations they descend the river for several 

 miles. The hatchery was not large enough to accommodate the num- 

 ber of eggs taken, and it became necessary to provide additional troughs 

 outside the building. Quite a heavy loss occurred during incubation; 

 the shells of the eggs appeared to be so tough that the fry could not 

 burst through. It was noticed that those obtained from the Rogue 

 River salmon were much larger than those collected on the tributaries 

 of the Clackamas, three of them laid side by side measuring 1£ inches. 

 A great deal of rain fell during November, raising the water in Elk 

 Creek and carrying away about 30 feet of the top of the dam; fortu- 

 nately no damage resulted. On December 8 Mr. Tolbert was relieved 

 and Mr. J. W. Berrian put in charge. As the weather became colder, ice 

 and slush formed in the flume to such an extent that it was decided to 

 liberate all of the fry and not run the risk of losing them in the troughs. 

 The last plant was made on February 10, when the station was closed 

 and left in charge of a watchman. The total number liberated was 

 1,910,045 ; they were deposited on the spawning-grounds in Rogue River, 



near Trail, Oregon. 



Little White Salmon. 



As the results secured the previous year indicated that large numbers 

 of eggs could be obtained on the Little White Salmon River, arrange- 

 ments were made to operate at that point on an extended scale. Mr. 

 S. W. Downing, foreman of Alpena Station, was detailed to assist the 

 superintendent, and reported for duty on July 20. The old hatchery, 

 which had been floated from its foundations the previous winter by the 

 rising of the Columbia River, was repaired and the hatching- troughs 

 made ready for the reception of eggs. The mess-house was rebuilt and 

 enlarged, and a rack was placed across the river. A new hatchery was 

 also commenced and completed during the month of August. This 

 building is a substantial structure of wood* 42 feet by 80 feet, and is 

 so arranged that the roof is supported by the sides of the building, 

 thereby leaving the entire floor space free of posts and giving more 

 room for hatching operations. The floor is terraced uniformly from one 

 end of the building in four sections, with a difference of 8 inches in 

 elevation from one section to the next. On each of these a row of 

 troughs runs lengthwise of the building, the troughs in each maintain- 

 ing an elevation of 8 inches above those in the next, in conformity with 

 the plan of the floor. They are fed with water conducted by a flume to 



